Rosalind “Rozzie” Holt, age 95, passed away peacefully on May 19, 2011 at the Lafayette Center in Franconia, NH.
She was born in Boston, MA on March 3, 1916, the daughter of Whipple F. and Bertha L. Smith, and grew up in Swampscott, MA. She was a graduate of The Winsor School in Boston and of Vassar College, class of 1937.
She was predeceased by her husband, Hermon Holt, 3rd, in 1994 and by her sister, Virginia Symonds in 2004. She leaves behind her daughters, Carol Mairs of Palm Bay, FL and Barbara Holt of Dover, NH; her son, Robert Holt and his wife, Katharine of Bethany, CT; grandchildren, Karen Mairs French of Dover, NH, Wendy Mairs Ross of Chesterville, ME, Ryan Holt of Bethany, CT; great-grandchildren, Preston Ross and Gracie Ross of Chesterville, ME; several nieces and nephews.
At Rozzie’s request, there will be no funeral service. Interment will be private in Franconia at a later date. For those who wish, donations in her name may be made to the Star Island Corp., 30 Middle St., Portsmouth, NH 03801; Franconia Heritage Council, P.O. Box 169, Franconia, NH 03580; or Shoals Marine Lab, Cornell University, Box 223623, Pittsburgh, PA 15251-2623.
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Fred McGill, on page 256 of his 1984 book, “Choose Something Like a Star,” offered A Tribute to Rozzie Holt. Additional biographical information is included on pages 203-204.
Roz was familiar with the Shoals during the 1930s, her grandchildren report, working as a staff waitress and making the acquaintance of “Uncle Oscar” Laighton. She began her second period of association with the Star Island Corporation in the early 1950s. She was an avid volunteer, identified in minutes of several Star Board meetings, and soon became Head Housekeeper. Some of us remember seeing her, during changeover in the 1960s and 1970s, carrying a mattress under one arm as she moved it from one building to another. After a full day of changeover, she’d be at the hotel desk, ready to welcome in the incoming conference, giving out room assignments and answering questions.
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